1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for starting rotation of a non-driven spool on which a tape such as a large-width semi-product tape for touch-and-close or surface-type fasteners is wound.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, in the manufacture of touch-and-close or surface-type fasteners for example, a roll of large-width semi-product tape wound on a large-sized non-driven spool is reeled off the spool and is fed to a subsequent processing station, such as for washing, dyeing or cutting, as the leading portion of the tape is retracted by a pair of driven feed rollers. However, since inertia of the loaded spool is very large especially when the roll of the tape is large and heavy, the spool is difficult to start rotation solely by the driving force of the feed rollers which is limited in amount. To this end, an attendant or workperson is needed to push the spool in the circumferential direction by hand to assist in starting the driven rotation of the spool by the feed rollers; such manual rotation is laborious and dangerous. Other problems with this conventional practice are: that the tape can be easily damaged causing inadequate quality products; that the motor can be easily damaged due to overload; and that the feeding rate of the tape is changeable. Consequently a required rate of production is difficult to achieve.